Question: Some cars were parked in the hardware store parking lot. 2 more cars park at the hardware store. Now there are 26 cars in the parking lot. How many cars were parked at the hardware store at the beginning?
Answer: The number of cars parked at the store at the beginning is the difference of the number parked now and the number that came and parked earlier. The difference is $26 - 2$ cars. $26 - 2 = 24$ cars.